Natasha ~ Present
“WHOA, WHERE ARE YOU GOING in those sexy boots?”
I was closing my door and looked up to the left to see Dru’s head peeking out of hers.
Dru, Millie, and I all lived in the apartments above Three Sisters, giving us each our own space, while allowing us to be close by while we were building our business. Pretty soon, Millie would be moving out and into the house Jackson lived in with his daughter Kayla. They’d talked about buying a new house, but since Kayla had grown up there and they both loved the neighborhood, they’d decided to stay.
I thought it was weird, since Jackson had bought the house with his ex-wife, but if Millie didn’t mind, it was really none of my business.
It would be weird not having Millie right down the hall, but we’d still get to see her every day at work, so I was okay. Dru was having a bit of a harder time coming to terms with it. She and Millie were twins, after all, and they’d never really lived apart.
We’d talked about using her apartment as a storage unit, like we did with the fourth space on the second floor, but had decided to rent it out instead. We didn’t really need the space, and it would generate a little extra income, so we figured once Millie moved out, we’d clean it up and advertise it for rent.
I looked down at my ankle boots, then back up at Dru.
“They’re not so sexy . . . more practical than anything,” I tried.
Dru stepped out into the hallway, crossed her arms, and looked at me suspiciously.
“Practical?” she asked, dryly with a shake of her head. “Not so much . . . What’s going on? You don’t get dressed up like that unless we have an event, or are going out for the night.”
I just stared at her, not wanting to say where I was going and have her make a big deal out of it.
“Please, tell me that you’re finally going on a date,” Dru said, putting her palms together and closing her eyes in prayer.
See, dramatic. Dru always made a big deal out of everything.
“No, no date, I’m just going to dinner . . . by myself.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“Dinner. By yourself,” she mimicked.
“Yup,” I replied.
“You don’t like to do anything by yourself. Not shopping, not to the movies, not even to take out the trash. What’s really going on? Where are you going to dinner?” she asked with air quotes.
Ugh, why does she have to be so obnoxious?
“Prime Beef,” I mumbled, then turned and tried to hurry down the stairs.
“What was that?” she asked, rushing to me and putting her hand on my arm to stop my retreat. “Prime Beef? Are you meeting Jericho? What’s going on? Have you talked to him?”
I sighed and turned to look at her.
“No, we haven’t talked yet, that’s why I’m going over there, to clear the air once and for all. Like Millie said, he’ll probably be involved in the wedding, and this avoidance act is getting old. It’s time for us to talk it out and put the past behind us. We’re both adults, we can do this,” I said, hoping I sounded more confident than I felt. “It’s time to move on.”
Dru’s face softened and she squeezed my arm.
“Do you want me to go with you?” she asked.
“Yes,” I admitted with a sharp laugh, “but I need to go alone.”
“Okay, but I’ll be here when you get back, and you’d better come straight to my apartment, or I’m coming to you.”
I smiled at my sister and said, “Thanks.”
She squeezed my hand again, then watched me worriedly as I gave a little finger wave and started down the stairs.
Prime Beef was just across the street, but it felt like I was walking the green mile to get there.
God, why is this so hard? Why am I such a big chicken?
I let a couple enter ahead of me, then gave a small smile when the man held the door open so I could enter. I walked inside and inhaled, taking in the delicious scent of fresh-baked bread as I walked into the entryway.
As I looked around, my first thought was, Wow, he totally did it.
Prime Beef was beautiful, and it was so totally Jericho. When we were dating, he’d often talked about his dream to open a restaurant and what it would look like. Looking around, it was exactly how I had pictured it.
“May I help you?” Pulled from my thoughts, I glanced to the hostess at the stand and stepped forward.
“Yes, um, just for one. Do you have a bar or something I could sit at, so I don’t take up a whole table?” I asked.
I wasn’t sure if Jericho would even have time to talk now, it being the dinner hour and all, but at least I was making initial contact. My hope was that he’d notice me and come talk to me, then we could set up a time to meet and talk for real. Otherwise, I’d enjoy my meal, then ask the server to talk to him afterwards, and try to set it up then.
“Of course, the bar is self-seating, so you can walk on back and sit wherever you’d like.”
“Thank you,” I said, and started in the direction she’d indicated.
I was almost to the bar, intent on ordering a stiff drink, when his voice from behind me stopped me in my tracks.
“Natasha,” Jericho called softly.
Ah, my name, said in that voice, brought back a flood of memories that threatened to bring me to my knees.
I needed a minute to collect myself before I could turn and see him up close, so I stood there, facing the bar, as I struggled to breathe.